The Future of Education

The aim of the presentation is to analyse the need of higher education teachers to improve their educational competencies in the lifelong learning context. The following objectives are set: 1. To analyse theoretical aspects of competency improvement seeking to present the strategic attitude of higher education institutions towards the need to improve their teachers’ competencies. 2. To analyse the attitude of HE teachers towards establishment of necessary conditions improving teachers’ competencies. 3. To analyse the teachers’ attitude towards the importance of the need to improve their educational competencies lifelong. It is emphasised that the documents regulating higher education highlight the importance of teachers’ educational competencies. The extent to which higher education institutions themselves set goals to improve the quality of the study process encouraging teachers to learn lifelong and to improve own pedagogical competencies is also analysed. The results of the research with participation of the teachers from Lithuanian universities and colleges (the sample of 140) are presented. The participants in the survey expressed their attitude towards establishment of necessary conditions for improvement of teachers’ educational competencies (through various courses, seminars, internships at the national or international level). Generalising , it can be stated that a large share of the responsibility lies with the higher education institution itself but even when favourable conditions are established there, a lot depends on the personality of the teacher, his/her attitude and willingness to engage in various activities improving own educational and other competencies. Thus, a multiple system for improvement of educational competencies of teachers has to be created in a higher education institution. Referring to the necessity/ need to improve their own competencies, the HE teachers particularly emphasise the educational (methodological) competency. Its significance is particularly highlighted in the daily activities of the study process. The tendency that teachers in higher education more frequently improve their educational competency in foreign higher education institutions than in the national ones is observed. Thus, the research revealed possibilities and problem areas in improvement of teachers’ educational competencies, which is presupposed not only by various documents but also by the participants in higher education themselves. 

Keywords: higher education; teacher; educational competence.

References: